Thursday, 29 October 2015

China controversial one-child policy ends today, with official state media confirming that all couples will now be allowed to have two children.

China have announced the end of its hugely controversial
one-child policy today, with official state media confirming that all
couples will now be allowed to have two children.

A communique was issued by the ruling Communist Party
following a four-day meeting in Beijing to chart the country's plans for
the next five years. Despite being the world's second largest economy after the US, there
have been growing concerns over China's ageing population since the one
child policy was introduced in 1980.

The radical family planning policy was adopted to reduce the country's
high birth rate. The policy restricted most couples to only a single
offspring, and for years authorities argued that it was a key
contributor to China's economic boom.

But after years of strict, sometimes brutal enforcement by a
dedicated government commission, China's population - the world's
largest - is now ageing rapidly, gender imbalances are severe, and its
workforce is shrinking.